Is Your Face There in God's Facebook?
Linked in…Tweeter…Facebook…Orkut… now these are the
names of social networking portals which figure high in the lingo of the
modern day iPod generation youth. Is not social networking the order of the
day? Very much!
Has it ever occurred to you that if you are “linked-in” with the Creator,
you are creating endless possibilities for yourself? The Bible has enough
examples to authenticate the fact that the good Lord has networks in places
deemed impossible for man to establish a network therein. Acknowledging that
this physical world can be divided into three realms…the sea, the sky and
the sod (land) let us look at some Biblical examples of stunning networks at
work in each of these realms.
The Sea
A disobedient prophet has been cast into a raging sea. His swimming skills
cannot help him at a time, he is being tossed about like a leaf in the wind,
and even if the waves calm down, being miles away from the seashore, he
cannot hope to make it all the way to the land by swimming alone. What does
he do? He cries out in desperation to the good Lord and lo and behold at the
Lord’s command, a whale emerges from the deep and swallows the drowning
prophet saving him from death. Welcome to the Jonah story…welcome once again
to that incredible story of an incredible God at work…even using a whale in
His scheme of things. It doesn’t stop there. The great fish resisting all
the temptation to “digest” the prophet, gives him a free “submarine” ride
all the way to the shore (Jonah 1,2, 3:1-3). Were Jonah and the great whale
by any chance friends before, courtesy any social networking portal? You
see, if you are networked with the good Lord, you would have a network
working for you even in the depths of a deep blue sea!
The Sky
A Prophet had announced a curse of famine upon an idolatrous land and had
gone hiding. Hunger stalked the land but this Prophet lodging beside a cool
brook was not going to be deprived. Ravens (hey, ravens are very greedy
birds by nature so much so, they do not even share food with their own kind)
now supernaturally transformed, brought the daily rations to the Prophet on
dot. Boy, were they not carrying meat and bread in their beak, not far from
their salivating taste buds? These birds under Heavenly orders were not
going to be tempted while being in the midst of their Divine mission. Though
starvation gripped the land, Prophet Elijah thanks to his network with the
feathery friends of the sky never experienced any hunger pangs till the good
Lord established yet another “network” for him (I Kings 17:1-9). An unknown
“foreign” widow would now provide for him!
The Sod
We have heard of a saying that every cat is a tiger in its own alley,
meaning it derives extra strength cum courage from its familiar domain. But
ever heard of “big cats” becoming as harmless as domestic cats “in their own
alley” (read den)? Welcome to the Daniel in Lion’s den account once again.
There they were…ferocious hungry lions but sitting as tame cats beside
Daniel in their den (Daniel 6:1-21) one evening, when this innocent Prophet
was thrown in amongst them. Now who forged “friendship” between these two
unlikely co-habitants of the den? No prizes for guessing! Oh yes, then what
about those who conspired against Daniel and intended that he become the
“dinner” (he was thrown amongst the lions in the evening time), well… they
unwittingly became “the breakfast” for these starving carnivores the next
morning (Daniel 6:24)! Reason? They had dared to mess-up with a guy who was
a part of the Divine network!
So far the examples were revolving around the animal world right? Now let me
introduce to you an unlikely ophthalmologist treating a blind (blinded by an
oh –so-bright vision) persecutor turned apostle. Now “Doctor” Ananias (a
devout Christian residing in Damascus) and blind Saul -before his
baptism-did not know each other but the good Lord established the requisite
network which resulted in miraculous restoration of eyesight of the latter
(Acts 9:1-21).
Dear friends, Jesus is same yesterday, today & forever (Hebrews 13:8). Oh
how many personal experiences I have had and oh how many true accounts I
have heard from God’s servants of the Almighty establishing "networks" to
help them in their time of need. By the way, is your face there in God’s “Facebook”?
If so, say “HALLELUJAH”, otherwise get “linked-in” (Romans 10:8-10) to the
Redeemer without any further delay!
Suresh Manoharan